Genderbend Fluff
by PurpleLlamanator
Summary: What the title says. A short and sweet one shut between Katniss and Peeta with genders swapped. AU What gotther relationship started in high school.


**A/N~ This is a request given to me by ObeliskX :) You requested a genderbend between Katniss and Peeta so here it is! I hope you like it! :D Kade = Katniss Paige = Peeta Sorry it took so long to get it out. And please ignore any grammar mistakes at the moment =. I had no time to edit**

* * *

 _~Kade~_

Paige Mellark was a mystery to him. He should have hated her and everything she stood for. Paige was a merchant girl, a townie. Anyone could see it even without talking with her. What wasn't clear from her golden, blonde hair was seen in her clothes. All of course from the 'mainstream' stores and the name brands.

Paige had everything and it was all just handed to her on a silver platter. Unlike him, it was doubtful the girl had to work for anything a day in her life. All the more reason to hate her but aggravatingly enough, he didn't. Hence why Paige was a mystery.

Kade couldn't even understand why he was thinking about this. Up until a day ago, he hadn't even spared her a single thought. She had always just been there. Maybe they had shared a few classes here and there but he honestly couldn't even remember sharing a single conversation with Paige. Kade only felt the urge to now and he'd gone to school with her his entire childhood.

"So are we all set for movie night? Kade. _Kade._ Kade!" He jerked back when her elbow rammed roughly into his ribs. He had been spacing out again but it didn't stop him from glaring at his long time best friend. "Did you hear anything that I was saying to you?" When he ignored Grace yet again, she narrowed her silver eyes and started pushing him over to get in the right angle. Kade was trying to push her back but she was relentless and wanted to see what had ensnared his attention so easily.

When realization hit her, Grace snapped back to her seat and wrinkled her nose. " _Townies_. Really, Kade?" She rolled her eyes and went back to eating her school lunch glaring at him irritatedly.

Grace detested the merchant kids. She wouldn't even talk with them unless absolutely necessary. And she wasn't some silent recluse like him. She actually had other friends, actually went on dates and went to parties. But if there were townies involved, that's where she drew the line.

Kade could understand her dislike for them but that didn't mean he didn't disagree. He saw how well off those kids were compared to his family but he knew it wasn't their fault that they were given a better hand. It wasn't Paige's fault that she had better shoes or a bigger house.

Grace just didn't see it that way. And she made it quite clear when Max Undersee made his way to the table by emitting a loud noise of distaste. Max paid it no mind though and smiled at Kade warmly. When his eye's directed to Grace, it turned into more of a grimace. "Hey Kade." And with a frown and a curt head nod, "Grace." He rolled his eyes when she blatantly ignored him and looked at Kade with a grin. "Hey, do you think you could give me a ride home after school?"

As Kade had been about to respond, Grace decided to interrupt him. "Why? Is the chauffer your daddy got you running late," she said with a sneer. Her friend cut her a scathing look.

Kade actually liked Max. Sure his dad was Mayor Undersee, but Max was still a good guy and besides Grace, his only friend. The only other person he had seen Max interacting with was Paige. They kind of formed a bond over their mutual like for reserved solitude.

Max's jaw visibly tensed. "My car actually broke down this morning and my dad is working late," he said with a steely tone most likely directed at Grace.

To disperse the tension between the two, Kade stepped in. "Yeah, sure. Just wait for me at my car."

* * *

Kade wasn't quite sure how the conversation got steered towards Paige. Max had just randomly brought her up which honestly began to worry him. Was it that obvious that he had been staring at her? Kade thought only Grace had taken notice. What if Paige saw?! He didn't mean anything by it. Was merely observing her from a far. . .

Why did he even care?!

Nonetheless, he cleared his throat and answered any question casually. That is, until they a got a little too forward for his liking. They started out innocent enough. Things like if he knew who she was, how many classes he shared with her and such.

"Would you date her?"

The question had been so sudden and out of the ordinary that he almost blew past a stop sign. "What?!" Kade shook his head.

Max gave him a confused glance from the passenger seat. "Why? Is she not pretty enough?"

Kade's features flushed slightly as he focused intently on the road. He never really thought about Paige Mellark until today. But she was by no means ugly. Just sort of off limits due to being a city girl. In fact, he was a little taken aback by Max. For quite some time he thought Paige and Max had been dating. They were always hanging out so it was a reasonable assumption. Many lunches later though, he found out that they were like brother and sister.

"She's sort of taken by you so I figured I'd help her out. She's too nervous to tell you herself," Max mumbled under his breath as he looked out the window.

"Wait, what?!" That seemed to be all Kade was saying on this car trip as he snapped his gaze over to Max. That's impossible! He was from the poor neighborhood. They've not even spoken once. Plus, he was a nobody and doubted Paige had even noticed him. She was miss social butterfly and was friends with everybody. He could literally count how many friends he had on one hand. And that was two.

Max made a noise in the back of his throat. "I know right! Always talking and all smiles but too shy to talk to the guy she's liked for years," he said as he looked out the window.

Max huffed and rolled his eyes. "I swear you're all she talks about sometimes." Clearing his throat though, he brightened when Kade pulled the beat up car into the extravagant driveway. "Well, thanks man! I appreciate it," he beamed and moved to get out of the car.

Max had only just gotten the door open when Kade latched onto his arm and yanked him back in the car, closing the door with him. When Max turned on him with blue accusing eyes, Kade struggled to grasp for an explanation. "You- you can't just say something like that and walk away all smiles without explaining."

"What more is there for me to say? Paige has a crush on you," he shrugged.

Kade's eyes widened before they narrowed with awareness. "Okay, I see what this is," he shook his in mock humor. "I know what's going on."

Now it was Max's turn to narrow his eyes but this time in confusion. "What are you talking about? You know . . . what?"

Kade let out a chuckle. "You talked with Grace. Trying to poke fun at me for looking at Paige." He released his hold on Max. "Well, it wasn't what you think!"

Max scrunched his features in distaste. "You think I actually sat and had a conversation with Grace?" He looked incredulous at the thought. "I already tried that once. That ship has sailed and sunk," he said firmly before a devious smirk slid onto his features. He fixed Kade with a mischievous glance. "So you were looking at Paige, huh?"

Kade let out an aggravated groan, "Get out of my car."

* * *

That's it. The world was officially out to get him. How was it, that only after a day or two of talking with Max about Paige, that he was being forced into her. It had to be some stupid joke from God that just the next day he had to partner up with her. Then he had to go the bakery her family owned to pick up the cake for his little brother's birthday two days after that. Not to mention he was running into her in the halls at school more often. Kade was beginning to think she was following him, especially after what Max had told him the other day. What caught him off guard though was that Paige was always completely at ease with him.

When they had to work together in class, she had been all smiles and her usual friendly self. The same attitude was shown when he picked up the birthday cake. Kade was starting to think that Max really had been messing with him, that there was no way Paige Mellark was interested in him in that way. Surely she wouldn't be all that calm. She didn't even blush or appear to be nervous and Kade knew those were all acceptable actions from a girl with a crush.

He didn't have many friends and he never bothered with girls, but he wasn't blind when a girl was fawning over him. He knew when a girl was interested and Paige Mellark was most certainly not interested. And Kade was convinced he wasn't either. But yet, when he was leaving school friday afternoon and saw her walking up the side of the road, he felt anxious. He wanted to say that he didn't care nor did he know her really well so he should just keep driving. But it was pouring rain and freezing out.

Telling himself that it was to keep a good concious, he tooted his horn gently and pulled closer to the curb she was near.

Paige appeared alarmed at first but when he rolled down his window and she saw it was him, she smiled in relief. Not even needing to ask her if she wanted the ride, Paige climbed in shaking the water from her hair. "Thanks, Kade."

He nodded and pulled back onto the road. It was awkward for the first five minutes. Kade didn't know what to say and he wasn't really good with conversations anyway. He rarely even liked to talk but oddly enough, he felt the need to try with her. "Why not take the bus?"

She looked over at him surprised that he was actually talking before she found her words. "I missed it and no one's home to give me a ride," she grinned brightly.

It was silent again after that. He didn't know what else to say but tried anyway with, "Well, next time you should use an umbrella." Kade winced after the words came out. Way to sound bossy, Everdeen. He knew why it came out like that though. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Paige made him nervous. It was quiet again after that and when he chanced a quick glance at her, he frowned when her lips were pursed tightly. She looked annoyed, bothered.

"You okay-"

"I know he told you." Her abrupt sentence cut him off as she turned to face him. Her face relaxed into a gentle smile that made his breath hitch. "I know Max told you that I liked you. He can be so- so stupid sometimes! He thinks he knows everything and it can be so annoying!"

Kade was a bit taken aback by her explosion. She was always so kind and though what just happened was an explosion of sorts, she hadn't raised her voice at all. Still though, something stuck with him. "So you don't like me?" He instantly flushed once the words were out and made to look like he was checking his side mirror while clearing his throat. Anything not to see the expression or look she was shooting him.

He couldn't miss the soft smile she sent him nor could he ignore his surprise at her soft reply. "I do." Even as his gaze shot back to her stunned at how easily she admitted it, she continued not once appearing embarrassed. "I don't want you to think I have some obsession but I've honestly liked you since the third grade."

They shared the same class in third grade? Kade felt bad especially now but he honestly couldn't remember.

"I just- I see the way Grace and you are and I thought you two were," she trailed off and shook her head while smiling. "You know. . . "

No he didn't know. Grace was like the sister he never had. He would never had been able to have a romantic relationship of any kind with her. "We're not," he said probably more forcefully than he had to. For some reason he wanted to make sure she understood that. Kade cleared his throat again to get the attention away from his relationship status. "So why is Max stupid then?"

"Because! He thought that I needed him to tell you for me; that I wouldn't have done it on my own. I was though," Paige became adamant. For the first time she started to blush lightly. "I was going to ask you to the Sadie Hawkins dance." Now she was the one avoiding his gaze.

Kade didn't know how to respond. Was that her asking and he should say yes or was she only stating that she had been going to ask and now she didn't want to? For once, Kade felt the need to take intiative and show her that what she was feeling wasn't onesided. And he made it clear when she had been about to get out of his car at her house.

Not really thinking it through, as she had been preparing to make a dash for her front stoop, he touched her shoulder softly. When she turned to face him he swooped in and kissed her softly. Pulling back he nodded his head. "I'll go with you."

Surprise registered on her face before happiness and she gripped him by the back of his neck to connect their lips again. Their mouths fused together as their heads angled every wich way in an attempt to get closer to each other. Her hands were gripping his dark locks tightly as she refused to allow him to pull back. He didn't want to though and pulled her closer by her forearms. Finally after what seemed like forever, they pulled away slowly, breath intermingling with the other's.

She grinned softly again. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?" The question was timid and shy and full of different questions.

Will Kade be at school tomorrow? Were they together now? Was it just the dance they were going to together?

Grinning reassuringly Kade said, "I'll see you at school," and Paige's features brightened. He didn't have to say anything more and for once she understood his silence.

* * *

 **A/N~ Let me know what you guys think. I wanted to keep it short and sweet. And if it wasn't obvious to anybody, he was saying they were together now at the end. :) Hoped you like it sorry it took me so long to get it out.**


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